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Public and hotel charging advice for a newbie attempting first trip - New York to Chicago WITH TRAILER!

Hopper

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OK here’s the scoop. I‘ve had my Rivian for two weeks now. It’s my first EV. There are no public chargers near where I live in the Catskill Mountains of New York. I have never used a public charger. Next Monday I will be embarking on a trip from here to the Chicago suburbs with a U-Haul trailer full of furniture for my daughter. I know my legs will be short; I’m planning to keep them under 120 miles and to have an overnight stop at a hotel with charging.

Any advice on setting up accounts, using fast chargers or overnight chargers at hotels will be greatly appreciated. (I know that I may have to disconnect from the trailer in order to use chargers at many places.)

TIA!!

Rivian R1T R1S Public and hotel charging advice for a newbie attempting first trip - New York to Chicago WITH TRAILER! 7156D70B-391E-4E0C-B003-6955F69A5B38
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Dark-Fx

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My only advice is to make sure you have enough range when you stop at the hotel to get to a DCFC in case the L2 at a hotel is already in use or otherwise unavailable.
 

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This is gonna be an epic trip! Awesome!
I have no experience in what specifically you are asking, but my local Ford dealer has offered me to use their dealership charger when I receive my Rivian. Apparently, Ford has briefed dealership management that Rivian and Ford are "friendly" since the investment stake.
Hope that helps!
 
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Hopper

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My only advice is to make sure you have enough range when you stop at the hotel to get to a DCFC in case the L2 at a hotel is already in use or otherwise unavailable.
Thanks. Already planned that one in. :)
 

ajdelange

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I‘ve had my Rivian for two weeks now. It’s my first EV. There are no public chargers near where I live in the Catskill Mountains of New York. I have never used a public charger. Next Monday I will be embarking on a trip from here to the Chicago suburbs with a U-Haul trailer full of furniture for my daughter. I know my legs will be short; I’m planning to keep them under 120 miles and to have an overnight stop at a hotel with charging.
I'd say you are quite bold to do this in a vehicle that represents a new fueling paradigm with no experience whatsoever. But I'm sure you will be OK. I see you have pulled up ABRP and planned out the route with that. If you haven't already done so also download PlugShare, Between the two you should be able to find the chargers you need. Be prepared to spend several hours charging.
 

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Agree with @ajdelange. Also keep in mind avg. Temperature will be low 40's and I believe ABRP uses an optimistic charge curve for calculating charging times so you'll probably spend a bit longer at each stop.
Be sure to check tire pressure in the u-haul they are notoriously low.
Keep us posted how you make out!
 

IRun

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Remember for your overnight stay that charging a cold battery will take longer than a warm battery. Charging fully just before your overnight stop would be my advice.
I'm about 20 miles (Perrysburg) from the Blue Herron stop on the Ohio Turnpike and there is plenty of hotels and stuff to do in this area (Perrysburg, Maumee, Toledo) if you are still scouting a place to stay overnight.
 

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Agree with @ajdelange. Also keep in mind avg. Temperature will be low 40's and I believe ABRP uses an optimistic charge curve for calculating charging times so you'll probably spend a bit longer at each stop.
Be sure to check tire pressure in the u-haul they are notoriously low.
Keep us posted how you make out!
So, the current ABRP curve is well below where it should be (like 130kw avg from 0 to 50% IIRC). I was going to email them after Kyle posted his 500A analysis, but since there appears to be significant thermal throttling, I don't think I'll bother at the moment.
 
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Hopper

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I'd say you are quite bold to do this in a vehicle that represents a new fueling paradigm with no experience whatsoever. But I'm sure you will be OK. I see you have pulled up ABRP and planned out the route with that. If you haven't already done so also download PlugShare, Between the two you should be able to find the chargers you need. Be prepared to spend several hours charging.
Thanks. I have PlugShare and have also joined Electrify America as they seem to have the predominant number of fast chargers along my route. I have also linked a ChargePoint account to my Rivian app, but I’m not sure where this comes in to play.

I know this is audacious! It would not be my preferred way to try out charging on the road, but the timing has worked out this way. C’est la vie!
 
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Hopper

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Agree with @ajdelange. Also keep in mind avg. Temperature will be low 40's and I believe ABRP uses an optimistic charge curve for calculating charging times so you'll probably spend a bit longer at each stop.
Be sure to check tire pressure in the u-haul they are notoriously low.
Keep us posted how you make out!
Good advice. Thank you!
 

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Hopper

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Remember for your overnight stay that charging a cold battery will take longer than a warm battery. Charging fully just before your overnight stop would be my advice.
I'm about 20 miles (Perrysburg) from the Blue Herron stop on the Ohio Turnpike and there is plenty of hotels and stuff to do in this area (Perrysburg, Maumee, Toledo) if you are still scouting a place to stay overnight.
Thank you! Charging before the stop is an excellent idea.

That is the area I’m scouting, but finding few hotels with charging. I was thinking of stopping a little shorter around Cleveland, but may just charge up at the Blue Heron Service Plaza.
 

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I like that you've already planned for everything well under 200 miles apart. That way, of you get hills or a headwind or something else to kill your range, you should be okay. If your range starts disappearing faster than you had planned, get in the right lane and go slower. Take it really easy going uphill. Use a website to check on charging stations before you go, and maybe keep a list of alternates on hand in case something happens. It looks like you'll be stopping at enough EA stops that you might save a few $ by joining their subscription plan for a month. These are the tips that have worked for me on long trips with our leaf.
 
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Hopper

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I like that you've already planned for everything well under 200 miles apart. That way, of you get hills or a headwind or something else to kill your range, you should be okay. If your range starts disappearing faster than you had planned, get in the right lane and go slower. Take it really easy going uphill. Use a website to check on charging stations before you go, and maybe keep a list of alternates on hand in case something happens. It looks like you'll be stopping at enough EA stops that you might save a few $ by joining their subscription plan for a month. These are the tips that have worked for me on long trips with our leaf.
Thanks! Prevailing winds are out of the west in this part of the world so I am a little worried about the outbound trip pulling the largest U-Haul box trailer. After the trip out, coming home without the trailer should be a breeze. :)
 

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Turnipsaregreat

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Somehow I looked over the part where you're pulling a trailer. That's a real range killer. I would just plan on leaving charged to 100%, and drive slowly. You want to watch your energy use in real time and try to keep it under 30% of full output. It's a pain, because even semis get pissed at you and everyone goes around. But you should make it if you're careful.
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